East Cornwall Search & Rescue Called to Incident on Brown Willy

A walker had to be rescued from Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor after slipping while descending Cornwall’s highest point.

Rescue call made on 21st December

The East Cornwall Search & Rescue Team was called out at 1.21pm on Sunday 21st December 2025 after a request from Devon and Cornwall Police.

The call was to assist a 26 year old female who had slipped while walking down Brown Willy with a friend.

Weather grounds air ambulance

Phone contact was made with the casualty by an incident controller, and following a triage of symptoms, a request was made for a helicopter. However, the weather conditions were too challenging for the air ambulance to reach the site.

Despite this, team members were able to arrive on scene, assess the casualty and begin stabilising her injuries.

Casualty airlifted to hospital

With a significant ankle break suspected, the casualty was packaged and carried to the Search and Rescue Helicopter Rescue 924. The helicopter was able to drop off the winch paramedic and land nearby below the cloud base before transporting the casualty to hospital.

The team said they hope the casualty will be back on the moors soon.

Supporting the rescue team

East Cornwall Search & Rescue Team is a local charity providing inland search and rescue services for lost, missing and injured people across East Cornwall and further afield when required. The service is entirely voluntary and relies on public support.

People can help by shopping online via easyfundraising.org.uk/eastcornwallsrt, which provides free donations through participating retailers.

Donations or fundraising events can also be set up through Givey.

In an emergency, always dial 999 and ask Devon and Cornwall Police for Mountain Rescue.